1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to DRAM-type memory cells with one transistor formed in a floating body or well delimited depthwise by a junction.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-section view of an example of such a memory cell. This cell comprises an N-channel MOS transistor formed in a floating body region 1 laterally delimited by an isolating ring 2 and, depthwise, by an N-type layer 3 formed in a P-type substrate 4. The MOS transistor comprises, on either side of a gate region 6 surrounded with spacers 7 and resting on a gate insulator 8, N-type source and drain regions 9 and 10. Each of the source and drain regions comprises a deeper, more heavily doped region outside of the region defined by spacers 7 and a shallower, less heavily doped region under spacers 7.
In the absence of a specific action on the cell, floating body 1 is at a given voltage corresponding to the thermal equilibrium. It has been shown that positive or negative charges could be injected into this body, setting the cell to one or the other of two determined states which will be designated as 1 and 0. According to this biasing of the substrate, the threshold voltage of the transistor modifies and states 1 and 0 can thus be distinguished.
Further, FIG. 1 shows an N-type conductive well 11 joining buried layer 3 to enable biasing thereof. In the drawing, the biasing terminal is called ISO, and buried layer 3 can be called an insulating layer.
FIG. 2 is a table illustrating the voltages to be applied to the cell in various operation modes thereof. Voltages VISO to be applied to buried layer 3, VS to be applied to the source, VD to be applied to the drain, and VG to be applied to the gate, have more specifically been indicated. In the right-hand column, the conduction current of the transistor measured in these various states, designated as IS and expressed in microamperes while all the voltages are expressed in volts, has been indicated. More specifically, states of writing of a 1 (WR1), of writing of a 0 (WR0), of reading (READ), of holding or retaining (HOLD), and of erasing (ERASE) have been distinguished. The values given in this table are given as an example only and correspond to a specific technology. The relative values of the various voltages and their biasings should essentially be considered. The given example corresponds to a technology in which the minimum possible dimension of a pattern is on the order of 0.12 μm, and in which a gate length on the order of 0.30 μm and a depth of STI insulation regions 2 on the order of 0.35 μm, as well as a gate oxide thickness on the order of 6 nm, have been selected.
Thus, the main states of the cell are the following.                Writing of a 1 (WR1). The MOS transistor is set to a relatively high conduction state (currents on the order of 20 μA). This state can be established for a very short time only, for example, on the order of a few nanoseconds. At the end of this state, when all the applied voltages are brought back to zero, except the buried layer voltage which is preferably maintained at a slightly positive value, for example, 0.4 volt, the memory cell is in the state illustrated in FIG. 3A, that is, positive charges have been stored in the floating body. Once the memory cell is at the thermal equilibrium state, the charges tend, as illustrated, to narrow the space charge areas. The transistor then has a low threshold voltage, that is, in a read state in which the transistor is lightly biased to be conductive, a first current (16 μA in the illustrated example) will be observed for a given gate voltage.        Writing of a 0 (WR0). The transistor is off, its gate being set to a negative voltage, and its source (or its drain) is also set to a negative voltage, whereby the positive charges possibly present in the substrate are eliminated and negative charges are injected after the setting to the conductive state of the body-source or body-drain diode. At the end of this state, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, the space charge areas tend to widen, which results in an increase in the transistor threshold voltage. Thus, in read conditions in which the transistor is lightly biased to the conductive state, a current lower than the current at state 1 (3 μA instead of 16 μA in the illustrated example) is obtained for a same 1.2-V gate voltage as that considered in the previous case.        Reading (READ). The MOS transistor is set to a slightly conductive state, the drain for example only being at a voltage on the order of 0.4 V to limit injections capable of deprogramming the transistor. The current flowing through transistor MOS is measured or, preferably, compared with a reference value ranging between the current values corresponding to states 1 and 0.        Holding (HOLD). No voltage is applied to the transistor. The voltage applied to buried layer 3 is preferably maintained slightly positive to better block the junction between the isolated body and the buried layer in the case where the transistor is programmed at state 1.        Erasing (ERASE). The source/body (or drain/body) junction is biased in the conductive state, which enables evacuating positive charges. Buried layer 3 remains slightly positively biased.        
Thus, as discussed previously, the memory effect of a cell according to the present invention is characterized by a difference between a current at state 1 and a current at state 0 for a given drain-source biasing and for a given gate voltage.
Generally, during the read phase, the detected current corresponding to a state 1 (I1) or to a state 0 (I0) is compared with a reference current Iref. Reference current Iref is generally selected to be equal to average (I1+I0)/2 of I1 and I0. However, given that there is a dispersion from one cell to another on the values of I1 and I0 according to the technology and that, further, values I0 and I1 are likely to vary, especially according to the cell use duration, the reading risks being tainted with error.